So this is the part where?
by Saffier
Summary: An Uber tale set in modern day. A young head of Advertising at a high tech security corporation meets a mysterious dark woman who is the Technician in charge of the latest project.---My first attempt at fanfic, so feedback is welcome! Alternative romance
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: So this is the part where..?  
  
AUTHOR: Saffier  
  
DISCLAIMER: These characters are of my creation, they draw slightly on the Xena/Gabrielle- dark/good characteristics, so this might be considered and Uber-Xena story in some aspects.  
  
ANGST DISCLAIMER: I admit it, I love a good old-fashioned battle of wills, so be warned.  
  
SEX/ADULT CONTENT: This is an alternative story revolving around a F/F loving relationship. Theres a chance it could take a graphic spin in later chapters, so if this offends you please continue on.  
  
  
  
  
  
All eyes moved to the blonde as her name was called to approach the podium. Both Y and X chromosomes scoped the moving form with equal amounts of respect and appreciation. It was impossible not to notice the golden locks that curled and swept over the creamy landscape of the flesh exposed right down to the small of her back. Or the shimmer of the gown the color of dusk, with its iridescent blues, silvers, and the occasional pinks when the light caressed it just right. Her smile burst and fragmented to every corner of the room, catching on the chandeliers and cascading down on the inflicted crowd.  
  
Everyone in this room knew Elizabeth Silverton, and all that knew her adored her. Her two years with Viable Security Inc. made her relatively new to the world of high tech security but never-the-less, her natural charm, and caring openness with clients had brought the corporation's integrity to a level unprecedented.  
  
As Elizabeth approached the microphone to accept this year's Achievement Award, the crowd thundered with enthusiastic applause. All hands thumping to numbness- All hands except those of Jade Mercury. The long tapered fingers of the dark brunette were folded loosely in her lap, as crystal blue eyes peered beneath dark velvet locks. She watched the blonde speak with indifferent appraisal. Her long silk suited legs falling asleep as she patiently endured this mandatory company display of back patting. She yawned and inconspicuously glanced at her watch. She had only been with this job for a week, but already her mind was swimming with the unfinished projects and deadlines filling her computer screen. Her logistics formatting and piecing together coordinations and statistics even as she sat here in this social recognition gathering amidst the casual chat and smiling faces.  
  
Elizabeth Silverton continued to speak, her heartfelt words of gratitude settling on the crowd as her emerald eyes twinkled with familiarity on the friendly faces of her closest colleagues that dotted the room. A flash of silver caught her eye, and she glanced in time to see the flash of a shimmering bracelet as it shifted in the light. Her eyes moved past the bracelet and over the bronze arm of its owner. She followed the arm up the broad shoulder and peered past cascades of raven silk straight into the most striking sapphire eyes she had ever seen. A dark eyebrow raised as the eyes looked back at her.  
  
Liz continued to speak until she realized she had no idea what she was saying now. "I have never worked with a company so..what?" She stumbled over the next few words as she continued to try and struggle free from the grasp the piercing eyes had on her. Finally, the brunette's stunning pools of blue twinkled and looked away. Liz closed the rest of her speech in a methodic daze, gathered her glass plaque and hastily made her way back to her table. The chairwoman then took the podium, announcing the upcoming recognitions.  
  
Liz scooted into her chair cuddled beneath the pats and caresses of her co- workers. She graciously accepted the praise and leaned in close to Chris, her closest colleague at Viable. At 43, Chris was almost twice the age of the young head of advertising. He was a laid-back, slender, old-fashioned gentleman with graying sideburns and a knowing twinkle to his gray eyes. At his side sat Jay, his partner of ten years.  
  
Liz leaned closer to Chris and whispered, "three o'clock. Tall, dark and gorgeous?" Chris looked to his right and regarded the tall brunette. "Jade Mercury, new Technician in charge of the Exon system. She's a looker, eh?" Jade turned to catch his gaze and he smiled in acknowledgement, before turning back to Liz.  
  
"I've shared a Kleenex with every tech, suit and mail clerk in this company, and I've never seen this woman before,. how long has she been with us?" Liz regarded the brunette from the corner of her eyes. "Only a week, we brought her on to kneed out the glitches in the new system before we finalize it. Quite a sharp one, not much for small talk though." He studied Liz with amusement. "She is definitely not your type Lizzy." "What are you talking about? I was only asking out of the simple curious fact that I have not seen this person before." The young executive's face flushed the slightest shade of pink as she looked down and into her Champaign glass before raising it to her lips. She looked back up into the face of Chris, who continued to regard her with amusement. "You're crystal clear, kiddo. Crystal clear." He chuckled. "You don't know me *that* well," and she smiled despite herself.  
  
Jade Mercury glanced at her watch again. Another fifteen minutes, she figured, and her appearance here would be complete. She could go back to the apartment and finish the set-up she was still establishing in the newly rented space. She looked over at the young nominee of the night. She thought of the way the girl had looked at her from up there on the podium. She was cute, no doubt about that. Jade didn't have a particular taste for blondes, but her smile was open and her eyes bright and inviting. She looked the blonde over once more before returning to her glass. Business and pleasure were two separate worlds in Jade's life, and one hardly left room for the other. She would continue with Viable until her set-up was complete, or the challenge dissipated then she would move onto the next job, the next town, the next life. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Jade woke with a groan. *Ugh, I have to start sleeping more* she chastised herself as her bleary eyes began to focus in the darkened room. She felt a soft arm curl around her waste and she instinctively stiffened at the contact. She had forgotten that she was not alone. Jade gently picked the arm up and placed it on the sheet beside her before rolling over and checking the neon digits of the clock on the bedside table. 6:45 a.m.  
  
She leaned over and groped the floor for her clothing discarded somewhere the night before. Grasping the soft cotton of her button up blouse, she picked it up and began to move her arms through the sleeves. "Where are you off to so early?" A sleepy voice inquired. Jade looked over her shoulder at the half naked red head. Brianna? Britney? She scanned her photographic memory for the name of the woman lying next to her. "Work," she replied. "Feel free to use the shower, or the kitchen. I will leave some money on the counter if you'd like to call a cab." "Do you have a number I could reach you at?" Britney asked- or was it Becky? "Oh. Yeah, sure I will leave a number on the counter." Jade answered as she closed the last button on her blouse and unceremoniously walked from the room.  
  
Elizabeth sighed and tapped her pen against her forehead. Staring at her computer screen all morning was giving her a serious eye headache. She clicked a few more times, enhancing a line here and there, clicked save and stood up. Stretching her petite arms over her head and groaning as she felt every bone in her back crack in succession. Liz looked up at the clock precariously hung at the far corner of her spacious office. 11:35 a.m. where had the day gone? She looked out through the glass wall of her office and watched the people shuffling through the cubicles, filing things here, and answering phones there. Maybe she would go grab a cup of coffee. She sifted the needed change from her purse and walked out into the bustling tide of people, making her way to the break room.  
  
Curled up on the luxurious company couch, Liz sipped her coffee and shifted through the latest issue of People. Her head still protesting any use of her eyes, she set the magazine down and squeezed her lids shut, willing the pain to go away. Minutes passed, and she was almost in the euphoric state of "No More Pain" when she heard another set of voices entering the break room. One familiar, the other she did not recognize. She opened one eye to see Chris speaking in his usual manner of enthusiastically waving his arms and accentuating his vowels as he entered the room. His companion, was a dark headed woman with piercing blue eyes. Liz almost spilled her coffee as she hurriedly unfolded herself from the couch, moving to a proper sitting position, she unconciously moved her hands over her hair.  
  
"Oh Jade, we are just in time to catch our own celebrity, head of Advertising, Liz Silverton." Chris smiled as they approached Liz on the couch. "I don't believe you two have met, Liz this is Jade Mercury, new in charge of the Exon project." Chris' eyes twinkled at Liz. "Pleasure to meet you," Liz stood up and held her hand out to the technician. The woman was taller than Liz had originally summarized from her view at the Social, and her beauty was magnified even more so up close. Jade met her eyes with an intense, but casual gaze. "likewise," she replied and shook the blonde's hand. "We were just discussing the possible marketing strategy of Exon, and the way its going to revolutionize the world of security as we know it." Chris looked at Liz.  
  
"That is if I can get it polished and pretty before you guys are deadlined to release it to the yet-to-be-secure masses." Jade said with a smile, one that consumed all of her features as well as the observer's attention, Liz noted.  
  
"Hey, I've got an idea, if neither of you girls are busy for lunch, I know a great Indian place with the best Pakoras this side of western civilization." Chris beamed at Liz.  
  
"Well, I do have kind of a headache, I think food might actually be a good idea sometime today." Liz tried not to sound too eager as both heads turned now to Jade.  
  
"Actually, that's a tempting offer, but I really should get back to my desk. I'm swamped, and sinking as we speak." Jade said with what almost sounded like regret- Liz hoped.  
  
"Oh don't be silly, everyone has to eat." Chris brushed off her resistance and ushered both women towards the parking lot. Liz admired his no-nonsense bravado, and doggedly followed behind the two. Her eyes raked across the woman in front of her, despite her best efforts to be professional. Up the slender legs and over the firm muscles of her behind as they moved against the soft fabric of her pantsuit. At that moment, the dark head turned, and Jade caught her eyes from over her shoulder. Liz flushed, and quickly jerked her gaze up to the woman's face, and then reverberated it to the nearest object, which; a second later, happened to be the floor as she unceremoniously tripped over an unnoticed carpet, and face planted it in the entrance of the lobby. Chris turned around and immediately helped her to her feet.  
  
"You alright kiddo? Your air diet has made you light headed." He chuckled. If a black hole opened up in the floor at this moment, and the devil bargained the soul to all those who fell in, Liz would have gladly jumped head first just to avoid the eyes of Jade Mercury as she gathered her briefcase and continued to walk to the parking lot. Real smooth Slick. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Elizabeth didn't realize how hungry she had really been. It wasn't until she was on the second to last bite of her Aloo Gobi that she realized her eating pace had been about five times faster than that of her lunch mates. Cursing herself for once again being put in the "first-one-done, now-make- everyone- else- uncomfortable- by -staring" position, she busied herself with pushing the last bite around her plate with her fork and trying to watch Jade Mercury from the corner of her eye as Chris was going on in his usual manner, not noticing if a word was interjected edge-wise.  
  
Jade seemed to be listening intently to what Chris was saying, and Liz used this opportunity to better memorize the features of the striking woman. Her hair was pulled back today, and unlike the night at the Awards Recognition, her facial features were now free from the dark silk locks which had silhouetted them. Liz marveled at the bone structure of the woman's face. Her high cheekbones and strong jawline painted in a golden bronze, which covered her entire body and bathed her in an almost radiant glow, and the blue of her eyes was startling against the blackness of her long lashes and highly arched brows. The pink of her full lips seemed almost unnaturally profound, but Liz could see that the woman was probably not one of cosmetic preference.  
  
Jade continued to nod at the talkative man. * I will never carpool to lunch again* she thought, as she glanced outside, hoping for a moment that her car had magically appeared there. She scanned her brain for some kind of closure sentence, or excuse to leave the noisy restaurant and glide back into the quiet confines of her technological den.  
  
However, this Liz woman was becoming rather intriguing, if her partner would only let her take the stage now. Jade thought of the way the woman had eyed her in the lobby, and smirked when she remembered the flushed red handed expression on her face as she hastily denied it with her eyes. She glanced at Liz now, and noticed her gaze shift abruptly. The woman was definitely interested, Jade knew the response well, she was used to drawing attention, her dark good looks attracting many the wondering eye of both male and female alike. However she was picky about her bedmates, as numerous as they were- it took trust to allow someone to climb inside the safe confines of her living space, and her privacy was not something that Jade easily gave up. This Liz might make for an interesting evening sometime, but she couldn't afford another piece of baggage dragging at her heels, especially in her new work environment, as brief as it may be.  
  
"Well, I am going to go collect the check, you ladies hang tight." Chris motioned for the waiter and excused himself from the table.  
  
Liz removed her napkin from her lap and set it on the table. Rolling the corners against her palms, she reluctantly looked at Jade, trying to think of some topic for conversation. "So how long have you lived in San Francisco?" real original champ.  
  
"Only a couple weeks."  
  
"Oh? And how are you liking it here so far?"  
  
" I like it, the people are friendly enough and the culture is definitely expansive. The weather is a bit coastal for my taste, but the landscape itself is beautiful."  
  
"Do you have any friends or relatives out this way?" Liz privately patted herself on the back for being able to speak and look at this woman at the same time.  
  
"No." Jade shifted and scanned the restaurant for Chris' return.  
  
Its now or never, just suck it up and ask already- "Listen, I don't know if you like art, or wine but there is an art showing every first Thursday in the district. If you ever get bored, or want to tag along-"  
  
"I'd love to go." Jade found herself smiling as broadly as the young Executive across from her.  
  
"Great, well did you want to meet me somewhere? Maybe we could go grab a bite to eat, I know a great Chinese restaurant in NW."  
  
"Sure, I will meet you there."  
  
Liz tried to steady her hand as she hastily jotted down the address of the restaurant and her cell phone number. She had butterflies in her stomach as they pulled back into the Viable parking lot and she walked back to her office. Flopping in her chair, she squealed and covered her face in her hands. Tonight? She must be out of her mind. 


	4. Chapter 4

Liz opened her eyes and stared blankly in the dark for a few moments. Blinking slowly, her eyes began to focus in on the shapes developing in the dimness above her head. She forced her mind to work quickly in capturing the remnants of her dream before the details slipped away with consciousness.

With a frustrated sigh, she rolled over and let her arm fall over her lover's sleeping form. Pulling herself in closer, she breathed in the fresh scent of her hair. She knew it would be hours probably before she could fall back asleep, and the time between now and then would be filled with the creeping dread and emptiness she'd been feeling for several nights now.

It had been months since she'd thought of the tall brunette with the sapphire eyes. She didn't know why she was thinking of her now. The feeling that enveloped her upon waking told her that the woman probably walked the halls of her dream a moment before, but she couldn't grasp the memory enough to know for sure.

Now she let her mind fall back to that nervous day, scribbling down Jade Mercury's digits with a shaking hand. She had felt something that day, the start of something about to happen. It was the tingling sensation on the back of your neck when you hear thunder rolling in the distance just the moment before you see the flash of lightning.

The flash never came though. She never saw Jade Mercury again. Actually no one had seen or heard from her. Liz knew because she spent the next several weeks grilling anyone and everyone in the company who'd heard anything about her resignation and swift disappearance.

Liz wasn't sure if it was the mystery itself that presented such a thought consuming challenge for her, or the connection she'd felt in the brief moments of being in the woman's company.

Regardless, tonight she decided to try and force her thoughts to more settling subjects. She had to be awake in three hours to do her last hectic day before her sabbatical began, and wanted desperately to fall back asleep before then.


	5. Chapter 5

Jade squinted at the screen and let out a frustrated sigh. She'd been sitting in front of the computer for over three hours, and it had been nearly that long since she'd hit her last key. She was blocked. Finally she stood up, stretching her long arms above her head and groaning as she felt the strain in muscles she didn't even know were there. Slowly bending her knees back and forth to regain the dexterity, she reminded herself of a bull readying itself to charge through the dust.

Smiling slightly to herself, she walked over to the window and looked out over the ocean. Her smile slipped away and her eyes regained their far-off, yet sharp gaze.

She regarded the infinite glimmering horizon, the tiny ripples in the calm waters catching every ray of sun and sequining the deep blue of the sea. Just then a knock at the door awakened her from her solitude, and she felt the familiar tensing in her back as she turned to back towards the room.

"Ms. Mercury, I've brought your lunch." It was Lizeth, the housekeeper. She entered without being prompted, and set the tray on table that sat between two easy chairs in front of the floor to ceiling window that spanned the ocean side of Jade's bedroom.

"Now you know you have to eat occasionally don't you Jade. I don't wanna be havin' to tackle you down with my man-strength and forcing this sandwich down yer gullet."

Jade smiled to herself. 'Total dyke' she thought, but she remained silent. She liked Lizeth, the woman had Small-Dog syndrome and a Nurse Ratchett exterior, but inside she was all love… and maybe a little bit of Scotch.

"How's he doing today, Lizeth?"

"Well, he's up and out of bed. I nearly had to high jump onto the counter to avoid having my toes crushed by the wheelchair, and he attempted to escape through the plate glass door. But he's out of bed."

Jade chuckled softly. "Has he eaten anything today?"

"Well, he wanted some crème of wheat and he did take a bite or two before he decided that his oatmeal was 'pregnant' and refused to eat another bite. Not to worry though, I was able to get him to take all his pills today."

"Thanks Lizeth, I'll be down to visit with him in a few minutes."

"Ok, but don't go starin' out that window anymore today. Concerns me the way you're always standin' at that window, like a goddamn Norman Bates. Hated that movie, creepy as hell..." And her murmuring continued on out the door, fading down the stairs.

Jade's smile faded slowly, and she walked over to her computer. Taking one last look at the screen before logging off.


	6. Chapter 6

"Holy crap!" Liz let out the breath she'd been holding on the way out to the car. Three whole months away from this place. A part of her was relieved beyond belief, and then another part of her thought "what the hell am I going to do alone on an island all summer?" She hoped that she would at least have interesting neighbors and maybe thin walls. Nothing like a little controversy to get her antennae twitching. She was exactly like her mother.

She did enjoy sunshine and the ocean though, even if she was terrified of being eaten by a shark, or even one of those cute multi-colored little fish you see staring blankly at you in Dentist waiting rooms.

On the plane, she dug in her bag and picked up each of the paperback novels she'd picked up in the small airport book store. "eh"…none looked remotely interesting to her now that two dozen people weren't breathing down her neck for their turn at the check-out. She resolved herself to staring out the window and daydreaming.

She didn't know why she chose this island to go to on the only three month vacation she'd have for another seven years. The accommodations were reasonable, but it was the scenery in the pamphlets on the travel agent's desk that struck something inside her. It reminded her of a place that she knew, like coming back from a vacation and seeing the first familiar landmark that meant you were back home. It gave her comfort for some reason, and on a whim she booked the three months at an expensive looking, yet reasonably priced resort right on the beach.

As the jet landed, Liz looked out across the expanse of the small airfield and saw a tiny two engine plane bustling with activity. "You've got to be kidding me, That cannot be what I'm climbing in." She felt her stomach drop as they landed and she gathered her belongings to board the tiny aircraft. She thought of her parakeet then. Her little parakeet Chris was currently babysitting, of whom that she might never see again.

When the plane finally landed, after an endless expanse of blue horizon and Liz feeling as though she was about to voluntarily launch her own heart to the next transplant beneficiary, Liz stepped off the plane with wobbly legs and graciously thanked the pilot for allowing her to live another day.

She looked around through the meager crowd, and saw a frail older looking tanned native gentleman with a sign reading her name. She half walked- half stumbled her way with her bags over to the man, who hurriedly stepped forward to grab her suitcases from her, gently laying them in the back of a modest, weathered looking SUV. "Name's Ray, ma'am. Pleasure to have you staying with us at the West Sands."

Liz exchanged pleasantries with the man, the entire stretch down the coastal road and up the winding drive to the resort, lined with driftwood and tall dry mounds of grass that made her feel like she was going through a tunnel of sunshine and the shadows of objects in her wake.


End file.
